In 2016, $78 billion in revenue and more than 1.4 million jobs came from overall retail sales of distilled spirits in the United States America, with the number of jobs increasing every year. Spirits are the most historically significant drink as they were revolutionary and largely important to a plethora of advancements. The origin of spirits comes from the fermentation of other alcohols, which means that spirits have a much higher alcohol content. This spirit creation was started by the Arabs and was used exclusively for medicinal purposes, however it later spread to Europe where it was eventually found useful during the Age of Exploration. Alcohol was also used to help people, in fact it was used in the British navy and was thought to have ensured the British defeat over the French in the Napoleonic Wars. The spirits eventually made their way to the New World and colonial America, helping colonists find a good source of income by producing rum and inspiring resistance to the English. Overall, spirits were much more than just a distilled beverage from other alcoholic beverages, they were also a critical basis for British independence, trade, and defeat over the French. Therefore it is the most important and significant drink in our world history. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Spirits (rum) were such an important drink as they inspired the American Revolution. When colonists first arrived in the New World, they tried making their own beer and wine, but found it too difficult, so they had it imported until rum arrived. This new drink called rum was made from leftover molasses and proved to be much cheaper as it came from the French colonies rather than from abroad. Rum suddenly became more accessible and cheaper than beer and wine, making it a favorite among European [American] settlers. Rum became not only the colonists' favorite drink, but was also used for trade and currency, making it an important part of the colonists' economy. With 6.5 liters of molasses imported to make rum, the colonists had to get it from somewhere, from the French. As documented by National Geographic, by 1770 the colonists collectively produced approximately 5 million gallons of rum and imported 6.5 million gallons of molasses from the West Indies (Rupp). French colonists happily sold this molasses to American colonists. This quickly upset the English, because they were losing sales to the French and wanted the money the colonists were investing in molasses. This resulted with the Molasses Law. The idea of ​​the Molasses Act was to put Britain back on top and to decrease exports of molasses by French colonists. While the French happily sold leftover molasses to the colonists at low prices, the English began to lose to the French, so the Molasses Law was adopted to tax French imports. But rum was too necessary in the Americas, and molasses from Britain did not meet the colonists' needs. This was the beginning of the American revolt against British control. Because the colonists viewed the Molasses Act as unsuitable, they slowly began to challenge the English. These were the first steps toward the colonists' revolt against the English, setting precedents that ultimately made colonial America independent. Britain responded by imposing stricter laws, regulating trade, and becoming unpopularin the colonies. As presented by Standage; colonists began smuggling French molasses until it became socially acceptable, undermining British law and giving colonists the courage to challenge other laws that seemed unreasonable. Sayings like “taxation without representation” arose and became a protest. Taxation without representation meant that the colonists felt underrepresented in Britain and as if they had no role in British consideration when these taxes were lowered. This led to many more rebellions and finally the Revolutionary War of 1775, where the colonists gained independence and America arose. The Americans probably would not have gained independence from the English without rum (Rupp). The need for alcohol and the discovery of rum eventually led to America's independence, marking the impact of rum on our history today and the significance of this drink. Spirits were essential in the age of exploration and high seas travel. Spirits have a higher alcohol content than wine and beer, proving that spirits are a great carrying alcohol as they were quite durable when traveling and could be stored in smaller spaces for the same amount of alcohol content. Hence, it was highly desired and used as a form of currency in trade. As stated by Tom Standage, "Distilled beverages provided a durable, compact form of alcohol for transportation aboard ships." This turned out to be a necessary and wonderful discovery as spirits were used not only as a good source of trade, but also to aid the British in their fight against the French. As rum became popular among sailors, it was eventually adopted by the Royal Navy and became the drink of choice on long voyages. It was a substitute for beer which was generally perishable and required smaller quantities as its alcohol level was very high. According to John Standage, author of “The History of the World in Six Glasses,” “[rum] became the Navy's favorite drink on long cruises. Replacing the usual liter of weak and perishable beer with half a pint of rum.” This substitution of beer proved to be a crucial point in their future success against the French. The alcohol used by the Royal Navy was called grog [rum with water] which contained lemon/lime juice and vitamin C. Vitamin C was often forgotten as a cure for the disease known as scurvy [caused by vitamin C deficiency]. The administration of this grog dramatically reduced the Royal Navy's chances of contracting scurvy. As Kat Eschner explains, one of the main reasons the Royal Navy gave out rum rations was because of scurvy, which was caused by a vitamin C deficiency, rum didn't naturally have vitamin C but the lemons and limes in it yes (Eschner ). This scurvy cure proved to be very useful while the Royal Navy was fighting against the French. The Royal Navy's resistance to scurvy made them healthier than their wine-drinking French colleagues. The wine the French drank did not contain the right amount of vitamin C to ward off scurvy. This was a major contribution to the Royal Navy's defeat of the French. According to Tom Standage "a naval doctor said that the Royal Navy's unique ability to combat scurvy had doubled its performance and contributed directly to Britain's final defeat of the French and Spanish fleets at Trafalgar." Showing the superiority of alcohol and its impact on our world and history. Because spirits are the most significant beverage in our history, their impacts vary and are interconnected. Of enormous importance to trade and the economy were alcohol and their..